Body Heat
by LadyAlena1008
Summary: Castle and Beckett are trapped in a storage freezer with only a few hours to live. Beckett has an interesting idea that may keep them warm, but will it be enough?


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_Hey all! Technically, this is my second Castle story, but the first still isn't finished yet. This is just a quick little piece that was supposed to be posted before last night's episode, but FFnet and I had an argument (I think we still are). I tried to make this a little more lighthearted because the sneak preview of a particular scene in the storage freezer had me tearing up._

_Disclaimer: No beta, any mistakes are my own. I do not own the characters, they belong to ABC and no profit is being made from this story. It is just for fun._

_Author's note: In light of last night's episode, anyone else feel the urge to worship the ground the writers walk on, then throw something at their TV screen? I know I did. I ran the gamut of emotions during that episode and was taking a one-way trip to Crazy Town at the end. _

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_Anyway, here it is, and I hope you enjoy!_

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They weren't sure how long they had been in the freezer, but the cold was definitely starting to seep into their clothing. Both were bouncing and rubbing themselves, alternating with huddling into their jackets to keep their hands and necks warm.

"How cold do you think it is in here?" Castle asked.

"Judging by how it feels? Well below freezing," Kate answered, zipping her jacket up to the base of her neck. Looking down, she closed her eyes, thinking. When she looked up, she stared at Castle for a few seconds, appearing to analyze something.

"Take off your shirts, Castle." Her unexpected directive brought him up short.

"Kate, I am really questioning why you just now decided to sleep with me." He replied with a long-suffering sigh.

Exasperated, Kate replied "Castle, if that was my intention I would have told you to nix your pants, too. I have an idea that will hopefully keep us warmer."

Castle was pretty sure his brain derailed when Kate mentioned 'nixing his pants'. Mentally shaking himself, he quipped "Well, my idea would keep us warmer."

"Castle! Geez. Ok so here's what we're going to do. We're going to take our shirts off, sit, put our jackets back on and face each other okay?" The last sentence came out as if she were explaining something to an unruly toddler—which she was, in a sense.

"…Sure." Uncertain of where this was headed, Castle did as instructed when Kate turned away and unzipped her hoodie.

The intensity of their shivering ratcheted up several notches, as did their use of choice phrases, while they removed their clothing. Castle was trying very hard not to stare as Kate took off each layer of her tops and folded them to be held between her knees. He could see out of the corner of his eye when she got down to just her bra; it was a black satin and lace number from the looks of it, but he couldn't tell easily from his angle. He had to tear his eyes away from the toned, smooth expanse of her back before she turned back around.

Kate was also secretively admiring the view she was getting. Castle had never mentioned working out, but maybe when he was younger he had simply been so fit that he needed to do very little now. He wasn't ripped, but he was nicely toned—enough so that she was getting a bit distracted. Forcing herself to look away, she sat down quickly, pulling her jacket back on in the process. Castle followed suit a few moments later.

"God, this is freezing! Why didn't I wear long johns today?" Easing himself down to touch the cold floor was pointless, so he gave up and went all in like you would into a cold pool. His rant about a frozen ass was abruptly cut off when Kate slid into the 'v' created by his partly splayed legs. She hooked her own legs over his hips and behind his back, bringing her torso flush against his and wrapping her arms around him. They both stilled on contact, sharp intakes of breath and slow exhales the only sound for a few moments.

Castle cleared his throat, sounding slightly unsteady. "If I weren't so damn cold I would make a wildly inappropriate joke about the Kama Sutra."

The lighthearted comment seemed to kick Kate's brain back into action. "Yeah, well, I figured this was a better idea than throwing ourselves into a steel door."

"It's certainly more pleasant. I much prefer this turn of events whether we were freezing or not." Kate couldn't see his roguish smile, but she knew from his voice it was plastered on his face. She rolled her eyes in response. Castle could practically feel that, and it made him smile even more.

"Ok, now grab your shirts and wrap them around your hands, then put your arms around my back under my jacket."

"I can use the undershirt; since your jacket is so short do you want to wear the other?"

"I'm alright; just make sure you're covered." A sudden tremor coursed through her body followed by a wave of goose bumps, betraying her bravado.

"Kate, come on. My coat is more substantial than yours and I don't want your back so exposed. Please?"

Kate sighed, knowing he was right and cursing the involuntary movement of her body. "Alright. Thank you." She leaned away to take her jacket off again, then took the dress shirt Rick offered her and slipped into it. It hung down well below the top of her jeans so she tucked it under her butt and pulled her jacket back on once more. Rick couldn't help but stare this time. He couldn't believe he was thinking it, but he was actually thankful for the frigid temperature in the storage freezer and its ability to prevent certain…reactions…his body would have to the sight of Kate's scantily clad upper body before him. He was right about the bra, too; it actually looked like the one she had partially revealed before they walked into The Old Haunt for the first time. Knocked completely breathless seeing the whole piece, and what it so beautifully covered, left him without much to do except admire it. And secretly wish it wasn't there.

Kate glanced up when she noticed Castle was oddly silent and his hand was still extended towards her. When she saw the look on his face, she blushed to the roots of her hair and ducked her head, completely unable to muster an appropriate response to his slack-jawed appreciation and no small amount of desire. Normally she stayed calm and even dismissive about the looks directed her way when she was dressed in revealing outfits, but coming from him the intensity and heat had her insides fluttering. She wouldn't deny either, that it was flattering to render Rick Castle speechless in this way.

Fortunately for both of them, Castle recovered quickly. He noticed Kate's lowered head and saw that her ears and down her neck were a delightful shade of red. Instead of a smartass comment however, he quickly wrapped his shirt around his left hand, before scooting closer and snaking his right arm around Kate's waist and wrapping the other hand. This afforded Kate the opportunity to hide her face in the crook of Castle's neck, an action she would be sure to thank him for if they ever got out of there. She mimicked his actions, and apologized when Castle jumped slightly.

"It's fine. Your hands are cold."

"Yeah, yours too."

"They aren't nearly as cold now, nor is most of the rest of me. Brilliant idea, Detective." He could feel the slight smile against his neck.

Their shaking had indeed lessened. Despite the somewhat awkward position, they had managed to trap a lot more heat between them, especially with some creative rearranging of their coats that formed something of a cocoon—Castle's idea. As the temperature between them increased, though, he prayed that the cold floor would continue to prevent anatomy in his nether region from becoming aware of his position. It was incredibly distracting to be chest-to-chest with one very gorgeous Detective Kate Beckett; it was like his fantasies were coming true at the most inopportune moment possible.

Kate wasn't entirely unaffected by the situation either. She noticed when she would shift that Castle's breathing would change slightly. Sometimes it hitched, and sometimes he took a very deep breath and held it, before letting the air out against the side of her neck. This caused frissons to run down her spine for reasons that had nothing to do with the cold. Her mind wandered as she began to hazily think of how nice it felt to be in such close proximity with the ruggedly handsome man whose shoulder she was tucked against. In a much different scenario, she had imagined them in a similar state, but after having generated a heat between them that she was sure no freezer could temper. She shivered again and felt the arms around her tighten, believing it was from the cold. She was still cold, but the deeper tremor in her core was responsible this time.

Castle felt Kate curl a little farther into him and sigh, and he touched his cheek to hers briefly before sighing himself. He could feel his limbs getting stiff—from the cold or his bones protesting their position he wasn't sure. At the moment though, he chose not to care, wrapping his arms farther around the woman between them and allowing his mind to drift.

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After a time, even the proximity of their bare skin couldn't provide enough warmth to keep the sub-freezing temperatures at bay. The pair had continued to scoot as close to each other as possible, until they were in full contact from collarbone to groin. Periodic trembling from one or the other had them trying to rub warmth into each other's backs, each trying to do what they could to help. Both had tucked their heads towards the other's neck, trying to protect their faces. The exceedingly uncomfortable positions had long ago stopped registering, as neither of them could really feel how stiff their limbs were anymore.

Castle could feel Kate resting more weight against him, and he kept jostling her to keep her awake. On about the third time, he heard her mumble from the vicinity of his chest. "Can't feel anything."

He nodded slightly and lifted his head. "I'm so-I'm sorry." He realized he was now shivering almost continuously.

"For what?" Kate whispered back.

"For b-being m-me. Going rogue. Getting you into…into this. If we hadn't gone-"

Kate interrupted him. "Shh, Castle no, 'kay? Shh, shh." She paused, taking a slow, deep breath. "You were right. We found the bomb. We were just too late, okay?" Her words were coming out in breathy sighs, slowly, as if she was trying very hard to get them past her frozen lips. She curled a little more tightly into Castle's chest, before turning her face slightly up towards his. "Castle." She extricated her hand from his coat and reached it up to gently touch his chin as he turned it towards her. "Thank you. For being there."

"Always," Castle responded, smiling as much as his cheeks would allow and hugging her more closely to him.

"I just wanted you to know how much I l—" She stopped suddenly and her hand slipped from his chin to fall, limp, onto her knee.

"Hey, Kate?" Castle reached for her hand and squeezed it in his own. "Stay with me." He implored as he felt the rest of her body go slack. "Kate? No—shh, shh" He was speaking soothingly to her as she had done to him just moments before. He shook her slightly, before letting go of her hand to cradle her face. "Stay with me."

The trembling that wracked his body was less worrisome to him than the stillness that had come over hers. Resting his cheek on the top of her head, he held her as tightly as he could. His heart was breaking at the thought that he was losing her; he could feel it in the painful clenching of his chest. He took a deep breath before placing a kiss to the top of her head, and whispered, "Me too, Kate. Me too."

* * *

The blackness was creeping in on his senses, and he must have begun hallucinating because he could swear he was hearing drums. An incessant pounding and chanting was assaulting his ears like the rap music blared in too many cars he and Kate had sat in traffic with. Suddenly, a metallic clang and a rush of air jolted him, and he looked up to see the door opening to two bright pinpoints of light. He couldn't help but think if this was Heaven, cheap flashlight beams weren't exactly the light he was willing to walk towards. Familiar voices were behind the lights, and he became fully aware that he wasn't dead or dreaming when he blinked and saw Ryan and Esposito's stunned faces looking back at him.

The two Detectives stared at the scene in front of them before quickly jumping to action. They turned to each other and almost seemed to be of the same mind; Esposito said quietly, "Nobody else needs to see this. Only let the Cap—"

"Captain and the EMT's in here. Done." Ryan finished then turned to act as a human shield, preventing a crowd of people from turning the corner and beckoning his Captain over to talk swiftly in his ear.

Captain Montgomery turned to see several other officers and Agent Fallon still advancing. He squared up and called out a halt. "I need EMT's and heavy blankets brought right away! Everyone else, stay back." Agent Fallon took another step and the Captain held up his hand in a warning. "I _mean_ everyone, Agent Fallon. These are my people, and I don't need everyone swarming around getting in the way." Fallon seemed to sense something in the Captain's tone that brooked no argument, and he backed off to let the medical personnel through.

Meanwhile, Ryan had followed Esposito as he rushed in to help. Castle had tried to cover Kate's exposed front to maintain her modesty by buttoning his shirt, but he struggled to get more than a couple done up. Her two Detectives silently communicated to him as Ryan removed his jacket and crouched behind Kate to button it around her. The EMT's rushed in and lifted Kate onto a stretcher while Esposito helped Castle stand, taking most of his weight to help him out of the freezer. "I s-swear, it wasn't wh-what it looked like. Noth-nothing happened this time, either," Castle joked. His teeth chattered so much he almost didn't get the sentence out.

Even with the severity of the situation and his worry for Beckett in the front of his mind, the Detective couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Trust me, bro, I know. No way in hell can things function when it's that damn cold." Castle's answering laugh sounded like a wheeze, and resulted in him being steered to the rear of the ambulance where Kate lay under several blankets. He rushed towards her as quickly as he could with such stiff limbs when he saw her head turning slightly. Esposito let him go after steadying him against the stretcher and making sure he got a few blankets wrapped around him. Kate's eyes slowly fluttered open and searched around her before finding and locking onto Castle's. Esposito stepped back slightly to where Ryan and the Captain waited a few feet away.

"Hey." The greeting came out a little weak, as did the accompanying smile, but Castle was just glad to see it at all.

"Hey, yourself," he smiled back. Reaching for her hand, he hesitated, unsure whether she would accept it.

Kate noticed. As it began to drop away, she took Castle's hand in hers and pulled him closer. They stayed like that for a few moments, with Kate staring at their joined hands before turning her eyes up to meet Castle's. The beautiful blue irises were suspiciously wet, and she suspected her own eyes were as well, but at that moment couldn't quite feel them well enough to know.

She sat up with some assistance and gathered the blankets around her. A slight frown touched her face and she looked under the blanket, noticing for the first time that she was wearing something she hadn't been before she lost consciousness. "C-Castle? Whose suit jacket am I wearing?" she asked warily, still shivering rather violently.

Castle chuckled and looked to his left, where the trio still stood, watching them. Kate turned as well and saw that Ryan was missing part of his attire. She inclined her head and an eyebrow and he waved cheerily before making his way to her with the other two in tow.

"Hey, Beckett. How you doing?" he asked

Trembling again, she huddled further into the blankets. "Fine now. Thank you, guys." Looking around, she noticed most of the people there were hanging back and she suspected she knew why. "Really, thank you." She looked at her Captain and two Detectives in turn, grateful to them for making sure nobody had seen her when she was rescued. In response, she received shrugs and soft smiles; just that gesture was enough to make her tear up again. She turned her head slightly and took a breath before facing them again.

Castle moved to sit beside her, and she unconsciously moved close enough to be touching him from shoulder to thigh. The move didn't go unnoticed by the four men, but no comment was made. "Oh, Ryan? Here." Kate tried to remove the jacket without revealing the state of her clothing underneath, but she was vaguely aware that someone had buttoned up Castle's dress shirt. Unaware of how it actually looked, she handed Ryan his jacket with another smile, and he took it from her with a quick squeeze to her hand. Shrugging back into it, he looked at her again and froze with his hands up at his collar. Glancing quickly at Esposito, he noticed both he and the Captain were staring as well.

Castle looked at them quizzically before lowering his eyes to the place their gazes were fixed. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline when he realized what they were seeing and how it must look. At a loss for words, he just sat there with his mouth slightly agape. He couldn't deny the fact that part of his speechlessness was due to the fact that he was a little turned on by what he saw.

Previously oblivious to the attention as she rearranged her blankets, Kate felt eyes on her and looked up from beneath her lashes. The guys were all staring at her. "What?" she asked slowly.

Esposito cleared his throat and met her eyes before glancing down then back up. "Didn't notice your new wardrobe choice in all the excitement." He fought to hide his smirk before leveling a look at Castle that promised major hazing later.

Kate frowned, puzzled, before glancing down. When she did, she again registered that she was wearing Castle's shirt which maybe looked a little strange, then that it was haphazardly buttoned as if she had thrown it on after…_shit_. She gasped softly, jerked the blankets closed, and gulped. Horrified, she turned her furiously blushing deer-in-headlights face to the man sitting next to her. He looked just as surprised and they turned in unison to face the other three, standing there with expectant and amused expressions on their faces.

"I swear, nothing happened!" Castle's outburst was followed by laughter and a chorus of "we know!" Between gasps, Ryan said "Man, you guys should have seen your faces." Exclamations of 'Oh, very funny guys,' and 'Come on, Esposito, you said yourself it was too cold!' quickly followed his comment. The latter earned a fresh round of laughter and a swat from a mortified Kate. Soon enough, she began chuckling as well, softly at first, before succumbing to a real laugh. The combination of seeing her radiant smile and accepting the hilarity of the situation got Castle going too, and he bumped Kate's shoulder affectionately while he cracked up beside her. She bumped back and smiled at him.

Despite the gravity of the situation they had to face, at least for a few moments they could laugh before reality set back in. As they leaned into each other, Castle and Kate both promised themselves that things would change between them if they ever got out of that mess. For now though, being alive and with each other against all the odds—there for each other as they always were—was enough.

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_____Well, there you go! I hope those reading got some enjoyment out of it. The idea came from me just wondering if this tactic of sharing body heat would work. Since I am overly analytical at times, the hypothetical situation of what you could really do in this type of situation was an interesting puzzle to me. My scientific mind had an idea of what wouldn't work (physically) and what could instead. I really don't know if it was plausible, but it was definitely fun. Reviews are appreciated, and constructive criticism is certainly accepted._


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